Carbonating apparatus



May 20, 1947. P. H. PHILLIPS CARBONATING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 28, 1943 fair/e wie? Patented May 20, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE CARBONATING APPARATUS Philip H. Phillips, Farmington, Conn.

Application September 28, 1943, Serial No. 504,138

7 Claims. l

This invention relates to apparatus for making carbonated water beverages.

The object of the invention is to provide animproved carbonating apparatus having various features of novelty and advantage. and which is particularly characterized by its effectiveness in operation in that it is capable of furnishing in a rapid and efticient manner and for a, high rate of delivery highly carbonated Water.

A further aim of the invention is to provide an apparatus of this sort which is extremely simple in construction, which is very economical in manufacture, which is durable and not likely to get out of order, and which may be easily serviced.

A still further aim of the invention is to provide a carbonating apparatus which, while being highly efficient and capable of a high rate of delivery, is very compact and relatively small.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplied in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, the ligure is the vertical transverse sectional view through any approved apparatus.

Referring to said drawing, my improved apparatus has a container A of any suitable construction, the same being here shown as having an inner shell I0, an outer casing I I, and insulation I2 therebetween. If desired, the container may be provided with suitable refrigerating means which may take the form of a cooling coil in sur-` rounding relation to the shell I0. The cooling means is not shown as it is optional and may take any conventional form. Secured to the top wall of the shell IIJ, as by means of welding, is an internally threaded collar or ring I3 which receives a threaded plug I4. This plug has a bore I5 into which is screwed the delivery end of a Water inlet pipe IG. This pipe leads from a suitable source (not shown) of precooled water.

The numeral 20 designates a gas intake pipe through which carbon dioxide gas may be delivered under pressure to the container. This pipe may be connected to a conventional supply cylinder or drum which lis provided with suitable pressure reducing means, the same not being shown, as they are well known in the art.

For the purpose of. withdrawing, as desired, carbonated liquid from the apparatus, the container ls provided, adjacent its bottom, with an outlet pipe 23, having suitable control means, such as a valve or spigot 24. The pipe 23 is preferably covered by insulation 25.

Referring now to the mixing means, the same comprises a Venturi tube 30 depending from the top of the chamber of the container. In the present instance, the upper end of the tube is screwed to a-member 3| which, in turn, is screwed into an enlarged bore provided in the plug I4 at the lower end of the hole or bore I5. The member 3l has a chamber for accommodating a strainer 32, and leading from the bottom of this chamber is a small tapered inlet oriiice 33 through which the water is discharged under pressure in a solid jet axially into the passage of the Venturi tube. The Venturi tube has a throat 34 which has a throat diameter slightly larger than the inlet orifice 33. The throat 34 is aligned with the orice. By Way of illustration, the inlet orifice may have a diameter from 5%4 to 11s of an inch, and the di ameter of the throat may be V; of an inch. The inlet chamber or section 35 of the Venturi passage preferably has a bell-shaped bottom 36. The wall of this portion of the tube is cut away at intervals so as to provide ports or openings 31 through which the carbon dioxide gas may be drawn from the container chamber into the Venturi tube by the action of the water jet issuing from the inlet orifice 33. The discharge portion or section 38 of the passa-ge through the Venturi tube is in the form of a divergent outlet cone. Leading through the Wall of the tube from the throat thereof is a hole or port 39 through which carbon dioxide gas or partially carbonated liquid is drawn into the throat of the tube by the jet of water passing therethrough. This hole is controlled by a check valve, the same here being shown as comprising a conventional cage 42 and a ball 43. The hole 39 is preferably inclined upwardly and outwardly from the throat' 34. The valve is closed when the ball is in its outermost position, so as to prevent the gas and mixing liquid within the Venturi passage from blowing back through the port 39 into the chamber of the shell.

'Ihe chamber of the shell is provided with a suitable control means for regulating the level of the supply of carbonated water which may be built up within the shell. This control means is not shown in the drawings as the same may be of any suitable construction and is wellknown in the art. The level of the reserve supply should be kept below the ports 31 but is preferably allowed to rise above the level of the check valve.

My improved apparatus operates in a very effective and novel manner. In operation, the precooled water is delivered, under pressure, from the source of supply through the water inlet pipe I9 to the inlet orifice 33. lI'he water issues from this oriilce as a metered solid Jet which passes axially through the upper vented section 35 of the Venturi tube, thence into and through the throat portion thereof. A reduced pressure is produced by the jet of water as it passes through the throat area and an unusual now of carbon dioxide gas is induced or entrained into the throat. In the event that the check valve is not submerged by the reserve supply of carbonated liquid built up in the shell, as, for example, when the carbonated liquid is continuously withdrawn from the shell or is temporarily withdrawn at a high rate of delivery, the water Jet draws the carbon dioxide gas into the Venturi passage through the ports 31 which are located to the approach side of the throat and also through the port 39 which leads directly into the throat.

This extra gas drawn through the port 39 into the throat assists in breaking up the jet of water as the iet has additional gas to work with. In the event that the check valve is submerged by the reserve supply of carbonated liquid. the jet of water draws the carbon dioxide gas into the Venturi .passage through the ports 31 and also draws or entrains, through the port 39, carbonated liquid. The `check valve restrains somewhat the flow of the carbonated liquid through the port 39 so .that this liquid enters the mixing chamber as a restricted spray which impinges on the downwardly ilowing gas and water from the throat and thus assists in breaking up the water jet into particles in the mixing chamber. This materially helps the absorption of the gas by the l water and causes the issuing mixture to more thoroughly scrub the surface of the mixing chamber. In any event, as the water and gas pass through the throat, extremely violent agltations are set up therein so that the gas begins to vio' lently intermingle with the flowing water, and this action continues throughout the length of the divergent cone portion 98 of the tube, wherein the pressure gradually increases. The Venturi tube constitutes a constrained, high pressure, regenerative mixing chamber, wherein the water and the gas are violently agitated and intermingled. Due to the action set up within the Venturi tube throat, the gas is caused to flow from the container chamber into the mixing chamber in quantities proportional to the water flow through the mixing chamber and in exact relation :to the rate at which the gas is being absorbed by the water. Thus, the arrangement constitutes an automatic pressure regulating device for the carbon dioxide gas within the container chamber, which is replenished from the supply drum through the pressure regulator therefor. The mixing of the water and gas is so rapid and thorough that the carbonated water may be withdrawn from the container at the rate approximating that at which the water is delivered to the apparatus. When the lower end of the Venturi tube is not submerged in the liquid, an audible, muiiled, high pitched note is heard as the water jet and entrained gas flow through the throat, indicating that the ilow within the throat area apparently corresponds to critical pressure conditions for the carbon dioxide gas within the shell I9. When the lower end of the Venturi tube is submerged in the reserve supply of carbonated liquid within the shell, this high pitched note is not heard but the process of carbonation takes place without diminishing eiIect on the quality or eiliciency of the carbonation-properties. It is noted that .the outlet pipe 23 is located slightly above .the bottom of the shell so that the level of the mixed liquid within the shell will not drop below this pipe. The lower end of the Venturi tube is directed towards the bottom of the shell and is adjacent to that bottom. The mixed liquid, as it issues from the Venturi tube, is somewhat dampened from rebounding about the chamber of the shell by the liquid in the bottom of the chamber.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the carbonated water may be continuously or intermittently withdrawn from the apparatus and the carbonation process isv highly eil'ective when the level of .the reserve supply is above the level of the check valve, in which instance premixed liquid is drawn into the mixing chamber through the port 39. The process carried out .by the apparatus is also enective as the level of the reserve supply falls below the level of the check valve and, in fact, below the level of the outlet end of the Venturi tube.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter containedin the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense,

I claim as my invention:

1. In a carbonating apparatus, a container having a storage chamber for carbonated water, means for supplying carbon dioxide gas under pressure to the chamber; a Venturi tube within the chamber and having a restricted throat-between its ends, said passage to the approach side of the throat being in communication with the chamber of the container, said tube having a hole leading from the chamber directly to said throat and through which premixed gas and water are drawn from the chamber into said throat; and water intake means comprising an inlet orifice located at the inlet end of said tube and aligned with said throat.

2. In a carbonating apparatus, a container having a storage chamber for carbonated water, gas intake means through which carbon dioxide gas is supplied under pressure to the chamber; a Venturi tube within the chamber and having a passage with a restricted throat between its ends, the said tube having ports located to the approach side of said throat and through which gas is induced from the chamber into said passage, said tube further having a valve controlled port leading from the chamber directly to said throat and through which premixed gas and water are drawn from the chamber into said throat; and water intake means comprising an inlet orice located at the inlet end of said tube and aligned with and of smaller sectional area than said throat.

3. In a carbonating apparatus, a container having a storage chamber for carbonated water, means for supplying carbon dioxide gas to said chamber; a Venturi tube within said chamber and having a, passage provided with an upper vented section with a bell-shaped bottom, a lower divergent portion and a restricted throat between said sections, said Venturi tube having a port leading from said chamber directly to said throat and through which premixed gas and water are drawn from the chamber into said throat, and a check valve controlling said port; and water intake means comprising an inlet orice at the intake end of said upper section and aligned with and of smaller cross sectional area than the said throat.

4. In a carbonating apparatus, a container having a storage chamber for carbonated watery gas intake means through which carbon dioxide gas is supplied under pressure to said chamber; a vertically arranged Venturi tube in said chamber having a passage provided with an upper section with a bell-shaped bottom, a lower conical section terminating short of and directed towards the bottom of the said chamber and a restricted throat between said sections, said upper section having ports communicating with said chamber, a port leading from the chamber directly to said throat and through which premixed gas and Water are drawn from the chamber into said throat, and a check valve controlling said port; water intake means comprising an orifice located at the upper end of said tube and aligned with said throat; and means for withdrawing the carbonated liquid from the chamber and comprising an outletpipe located slightly above the bottom of said chamber.

. 5. In a carbonating apparatus, a container, gas intake means through which carbon dioxide gas is supplied under pressure to the container; a Venturi tube in said container having a passageprovided with a restricted throat between its ends, ports at its intake end through which the gas is drawn from the container into the passage, and a port leading from said chamber to the throat and through which premixed gas and liquid are directly drawn into the throat; and water intake means comprising a small orifice being located at the intake end of said tube and aligned with said throat so that the jet of water issuing from the orifice will flow axially through said passage.

6. In a carbonating apparatus, a container having a chamber, gas intake means through which carbon dioxide gas is supplied under pressure to the chamber; a Venturi tube within the chamber and having a passage with a restricted throat between its ends, the said tube havingr ports located to the approach side of said throat and through which gas is induced from the chamber into said passage, said tube further hav..

in g a port leading from the chamber to said throat and through which pre-mixed liquid and gas are induced directly into the throat, and a check valve in said last mentioned port for partially restraining the ow of pre-mixed gas and liquid therethrough to the Venturi passage and for preventing the gas and liquid within the passage from blowing back through said port; and water intake means comprising an inlet orifice located at the inlet end of said tube and aligned with and of smaller sectional area than said throat.

7. In a carbonating apparatus, a container having a chamber, gas intake means through which carbon dioxide gas is supplied under pressure to said chamber; a vertically arranged Venturi tube in said chamber having a passage provided with an upper vented section, a lower-conical section directly open at its lower end to said chamber, a restricted throat between said sections, and a port through said tube leading from said chamber tousaid throat; and water intake means comprising'la'il'smali orifice located at the upper end of said tube and axially aligned with said throat, the periphery of said orifice being rounded in a vertical plane and said orifice being of smaller diameter than said throat so that there issues from said orifice a substantially solid jet of water which, when passing axially into said throat, has a smaller diameter than the throat.

PHILIP H. PHILLIPS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,151,586 Cameron Mar. 21, 1939 998,428 Stuhler July 18, 1911 1,272,299 Murphy July 9, 1918 752,453 Hopkins Feb. 16, 1904 2,020,850 Muhren et al. Nov. 12, 1935 2,210,846 Aghnides Aug. 6, 1940 1,849,798 Hellmer Mar. 15, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 509,491 Great Britain July 17, 1939 

